Apparatus for fluid-treating lengthy material



March 23, 1948. RAMSEY APPARATUS FOR FLUID-TREATING LENGTHY MATERIAL 2 sheets sneet 1 Filed Oct. 19, '1945 0 o n0 v 0 v 0 0 0 0 0 INVENTOR, JWE in ihmye a g Md" A 7 70/? N E K March 23, 1948 I J. RAMSEY 2,438,374

- APPARATUS FOR FLUID-TREATING LENGTHY MATERIAL Filed Oct. 19, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet z I 9 I v w INVENTOR, u uszz'n H. Ramsey,

- ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 23, 1948 APPARATUS FOR FLUID-TREATING LENGTHY MATERIAL Justin H. Ramsey, Allendale, N. J.

Application October 19, 1945, Serial No. 623,346

4 Claims. (CI. 18-43) This invention relates to the art of passing lengths of flexible material having different diameters individually through an elongated passage to receive a fluid for treating any such length, the structure providing the passage having means to hold therein any of seals having apertures of different diameters to suit the diameter of the particular length being treated and with the aperture of any thus-held seal coaxial with the passage, the seal acting to prevent or limit escape of the fluid from the passage in the direction of travel of such length. An instance of such fluid treatment is the vulcanizing of lengths of material each comprising a core and a plastic coating thereon. In such case the passage of said structure is an elongated substantially horizontal steam-chamber through which the length being treated is made to travel lengthwise of itself and the chamber and said structure, having means to hold any one of said seals in fluid-escape preventing relation to the discharge end of said chamber, has some expedient also for obstructing fluid-escape at the entering end of the chamber, usually being afforded by the means which acts to extrude the plastic and cause it to coat the core. However, as will be apparent, the present invention is not necessarily limited to vulcanizing apparatus, though it is a certain fault in the operation of such apparatus which it has been the immediate obect of this invention to overcome and which is explained as follows:

The aperture (whatever its diameter) of any seal opposing escape of the steam at the discharge end of the chamber is coaxial with the latter wherefore, since the length being treated slides on the bottom of the chamber (without harmful effect on the coating because of the lubricating effect of the steam condensate which collects at the bottom of the chamber) it must rise at more or less incline in order to pass through the aperture, and since the seal is of relatively thin, as discal, form it consequently acts to scrape away the coating which, besides being in some instances harmful to the coating itself, makes it necessary frequently to remove the seal in order to scavenge from the chamber the coating particles collecting therein, such effect being of course greatest when a seal having the minimum aperture-diameter is being used and hence the angle of rise is greatest.

To overcome this fault, which may exist in other apparatus than of the class for eifecting vulcanizing, the construction according to my invention is as follows: There is an elongated structure including three adoining sections together forming a single uninterrupted fluid-receiving passage through which to pass, in one direction lengthwise of itself and the passage, any length to be treated, those two sections which provide the passage-portions first and last to be passed by such length having such passage-portions substantially horizontal and the latter section having means to hold therein any one of seals having apertures of differing diameters and with the aperture of the seal 50 held coaxial with the passage-portion of such section. Supporting structure for such two sections being provided, the same includes means to adust one such section vertically relatively to the other. And finally said elongated structure is formed to flex around at least two horizontal axes crossing the passage and respectively at least adjacent the junctures of said two sections and the intermediate section. Thereby the mentioned rise of the length being treated in order to pass through said aperture may be avoided, to wit, by effecting the said vertical relative adustment. Thus, assume the section which contains the said seal is the adustable one, as will appear in the example to be described hereinafter in detail. The adustment is effected up or down, respectively, according as a seal having a given diameter is replaced for one having a larger or smaller diameter, to the end that the material or length, instead of undergoing the rise, will approach the seal-aperture parallel with the axes of what may be termed the two end-sections. In the said example the intermediate section is flexible, specifi cally throughout its whole extent.

In the drawings, showing my invention as applied to a vulcanizing apparatus,

Fig. 1 shows that end portion of said apparatus which includes my invention partly in side elevation and partly in section;

Fig. 2 shows mainly in section a fragment of said end portion on a larger scale; and

Fig. 3 shows one of the disks iii of a seal.

The supporting structure includes in the present example the following: A large housing I; a smaller housing 2; a cylinder 3 extending substantially horizontally through and in rigid relation to a side wall of housing I and supporting housing 2, being fixed in an opening 2a of a side wall of the latter; and a U-shaped yoke 4 in housing l fixed to the cylinder and having its .arms projecting from said side wall of such housing and in the same vertical plane. Said supporting structure, as will appear, also includes adjusting means carried by the yoke.

Supported by and extending into housing 2' of the supporting structure is what '1 term the input end-section is present some means for extruding i the plastic and thereby coating the core and also preventing escape of the steam in any way to be supplied to the passaged structure so as to effect output end-secthe vulcanizing.

What I term the discharge or tion of said passaged structure here takes the form of a yoke including a U-shaped yoke proper Ill in housing I and having its arms projecting toward, and in the same vertical plane as the arms of, yoke t, a central collar ll fixed to the yoke proper at its inner side, and a central plunger 12 coaxial with collar 1 l and axially movable in a collar [3 fast tothe yoke proper at itS outer side. 'A bore I4 is formed in the collar ll, yoke proper and plunger, being coaxial with the said input end-section at a given point in the vertical adjustment of the yoke proper; this bore as to the parts II, It and i2 is here, as shown, stepped-down in diameter. The thus-described yoke, or output end-section, is supported in the arms of yoke 4 by oppositely extending upright studs I5, the lower one of which is splined to yoke 4 at 15a. A seal of conventional form is shown as comprising three flexible disks, as l6,rall centrally apertured at IBa for passage of the treated justment of the end-sections, and consequently bending or flexing the passaged structure, and that such bending or flexing, although frequently repeated, does no harm to the parts of the passaged structure affected. V

The aforesaid adjusting means consists of a screw 23 having a wheel-like head 24 bearing on the upper arm of yoke l, the screw being in threaded engagement with the upper stud l5.

At 25 is the usual sheave around which the treated product extends to any take-up means, its central shaft being here at 25a and journaled in a disk or disks 2'6 adjustable at 21 around a material and split radially from the aperture, the

disk adjacent plunger 12 being of flexible sheet metal and the other two of rubber or other pliable plastic and all being confined by the said endsection to coaxial relation to its said bore. The plunger acts to clamp the seal against the yoke proper Ill under pressure afiorded by the usual,

cylinder-and-piston means ll active through a I,

link 18 and a lever l9 fulcrumed in an arm of housing 1 and having a forked end to abut the plunger. I

The intermediate section 20 of said passaged structure is in the present instance flexible throughout its whole extent, as by comprising an accordion-pleated tube 2| and a braided wire tubing 22 coating tube 2|, the ends of this section being suitably secured in the socket terminals such as H and 1a of the two end-sections. Whereas the intermediate section is here fiexible throughout its whole extent, in so far as the passaged structure is concerned on adjustment vertically of the output end-section, fiexion of such structure ensues more or less immediately around two horizontal axes crossing said structure respectively adjacent the junctures of the end-sections and intermediate section; wherefore I do not wish to be limited to the intermediate section being ilexible'throughout its whole extent. By the term flexible as applied to intermediate section 20 or at least to the junctures between it and the two end-sections I mean that bearing 28, eccentric of the shaft and mounted in an arm or arms 29 projecting from housing I. Thereby the elevation of the sheave may be ad justed so that the product a will continue from the seal l'srto the sheave substantially horizontally. a

In view of the foregoing it will be apparent that whatever may be the diameter of theaperture of the seal l6, selected according to the di- 1 ameter of the treated material or length, by ad-' justment up or down of the output end-section;

(as up when the aperture-diameter of the seal is tobe increased and down when it is to be decreased) the seal-aperture may be set in coaxial relation to that part of the material at anytime sliding on the bottom of the input endsection, whereby the rise of the material at an incline in order to pass through said aperture, and the mentioned disadvantage incident thereto, are

avoided. This is illustrated in Fig.*2 by the dotted profile of the length'or material a undergoing treatment.

Although I have described and illustrated a preferred embodiment of the apparatus or the invention for purposes of illustration, it will be apparent that the invention is capable of considerable variation as to details. Thus whereas the said passaged structure here comprises three independently formed sections it will be apparent that a greater numberof sections may be empioyed if desired. The scope of the invention, therefore, is set out in the following claims.

I claim: V r I V i 1. In an apparatusfor individually fiuid-trat ing lengths of flexible material differing in diam-i eter, the combination'oi a fluid-receiving pas-'- saged structure including three 'adjoining-sec- V ti'ons together providing, uninterrupted, the passage of said structure through which to pass each length lengthwise of itself and of the passage and in one direction, thethree adjoining sections ly ing in a vertical plane, the two sections firsft and last to be passed by such length having their pas sage-portions substantially horizontal and the latter of such two sections having means toh-ol'd therein an oneof a'set of fluid seals having aper tures 'of different diameters and w'ith the aper-'- ture of the seal so held coaxial with thepassage portion of such Section, said passaged structure being fl'exiblejin a vertical plane at least in those portions thereof adjacent the juncturesl'of the firstand last sections withthe intermediate sec,-

tion, and supporting structure "for said first and V 7 last sections including 'meansto adjust one. or

them vertically relative to the other.. r r

'2. In an apparatus an individually .fluid-tre'a'ttogether providing, uninterrupted, the passage of said structure through which to pass each length lengthwise of itself and of the passage and in one direction, the three adjoining sections lying in a vertical plane, the two sections first and last to be passed by such length having their passage-portions substantially horizontal and the latter of such two sections having means to hold therein any one of a set of fluid seals having apertures of diiferent diameters and with the aperture of the seal so held coaxial with the passage portion of such section, the intermediate section of the passaged structure being flexible throughout its length, so that the passaged structure in such intermediate section is flexible in a vertical plane, and supporting structure for said first and last sections including means to adjust one of them vertically relative to the other.

3. In an apparatus for individually fluid-treating lengths of flexible material differing in diameter, the combination of a fluid-receiving passaged structure including three adjoining sections together providing, uninterrupted, the passage of said structure through which to pass each length lengthwise of itself and of the passage and in one direction, the three adjoining sections lying in a vertical plane, the two sections first and last to be passed by such length having their passageportions substantially horizontal and the latter of such two sections having means to hold therein any one of a set of fluid seals having apertures of different diameters and with the aperture of the seal so held coaxial with the passage portion of such section, said passaged structure being flexible in a vertical plane at least in those portions thereof adjacent the junctures of the first and last sections with the intermediate section, and supporting structure for said first and last sections including means to adjust one of them vertically relative to the other, said adjusting means comprising a first adjusting part fixed with relation to the first section of the passaged structure, a second adjusting part aflixed to the last section of the passaged structure, and an adjustable connection between the first and second parts of the adjusting means, said adjustable connection providing for the substantial vertical adjustment of such first and second parts of the adjusting mechanism and thus the adjustment of the first and last sections of the passaged structure.

4. In an apparatus for individually fluid-treating lengths of flexible material differing in diameter, the combination of a fluid-receiving passaged structure including three adjoining sections together providing, uninterrupted, the passage of said structure through which to pass each length lengthwise of itself and of the passage and in one direction, the three adjoining sections 13- ing in a vertical plane, the two sections first and last to be passed by such length having their passage-portions substantially horizontal and the latter of such two sections having means to hold therein any one of a set of fluid seals having apertures of difierent diameters and with the aperture of the seal so held coaxial with the passage portion of such section, the intermediate section of the passaged structure being flexible throughout its length, so that the passaged structure in such intermediate section is flexible in a vertical plane, and supporting structure for said first and last sections including means to adjust one of them vertically relative to the other, said adjusting means comprising a first adjusting part fixed with relation to the first section of the passaged structure, a second adjusting part fixed to the last section of the passaged structure, and an adjustable connection between the first and second parts of the adjusting means, said adjustable connection providing for the substantial vertical ad-. justment of such first and second parts of the adjusting mechanism and thus the adjustment of the first and last sections of the passaged structure.

JUSTIN H. RAMSEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,689,206 Lamplough Oct. 30, 1928 1,885,080 Cherry et a1 Oct. 25, 1932 2,029,435 Moody et al. Feb. 4, 1936 2,291,344 Powell July 28, 1942 2,307,575 Davis Jan. 5, 1943 

